Liv/giant Avail Inspire for Breast Cancer

Liv/Giant teamed up with Young Survival Coalition for a 2nd contest to design a new Giant bike for 2013. Barbara’s winning design of cherry blossoms has very personal meanings to me (I have a large tattoo of cherry blossom’s on my left arm/shoulder.)

Check out the bike and continue to read Barbara’s story below!

Before her battle with breast cancer, Barbara Greenlee of Bothell, WA would not have considered herself an athlete and she certainly would not have called herself a cyclist. But that all changed when, like many young women around the country faced with breast cancer, Barbara sought out a support community to help her push through trying times.

“Young Survival Coalitionreally helped me get through treatment,” Barbara says, as she recounts the eight rounds of chemo and 33 radiation treatments that would eventually save her life. “I received the diagnosis at age 40. My doctor said the cancer had likely been growing for about 10 years. YSC had the resources and connections to help me through each obstacle I faced along the way.”

Young Survival Coalition (YSC) is the premier global organization dedicated to the critical issues young women confront in dealing with breast cancer – issues like higher mortality rates and fertility concerns. After chemo and radiation, Barbara suffered numerous challenges – among them, a total of eight surgeries, not including her final reconstructive procedure last fall.

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I snap a lot of photos each week and you can find me on Flickr and Instagram.

About

Bike Shop Girl is me, Arleigh Jenkins. With over 12+ years of bicycle industry experience from running bike shops, seasoned bike mechanic & fitter, to avid bike commuter and racer; you can say I've done almost everything. I started Bike Shop to reach more women and make their cycling experience better.